Commercial truckers frequently have situations arise where they require personal access to the elevated bed of the truck's cargo carrier. The cargo carrier may be mounted on the truck frame itself as in the case of a so-called bob-tail truck; or, the cargo carrier may be a trailer pulled by a truck tractor. In either case, the conventional truck cargo carrier includes an elongated approximately horizontal cargo bed elevated about four to five feet above ground level, and an elongated structural cargo enclosure extending upwardly from, and substantially covering the cargo bed. The cargo bed has a rear end from which cargo is loaded into and unloaded from the cargo carrier, and the structural cargo enclosure has at its rear end right and left side edges in the form of vertical posts extending upward from adjacent the rear end of the cargo bed, and typically has either a single "roll-up" tambour rear door which is engaged in slots disposed at the inboard lateral faces of the posts, or has a pair of swinging doors hinged to such vertical posts, for opening and closing the rear end of the structural cargo enclosure to provide loading and unloading rear access to the structural cargo enclosure and cargo bed
Typically, the rear end of a truck cargo carrier is backed up to a loading dock, the elevation of which is approximately level with the elevation of the cargo bed. Under these circumstances, the trucker has reasonable access to the cargo enclosure and cargo bed by means of the loading dock. However, this is not true under many circumstances where access to the cargo enclosure at the rear end of the cargo bed is required. As a result, truckers are encouraged to climb up onto the elevated cargo bed and usually choose to jump off of it. This is inconvenient at best, and can and sometimes does lead to significant accidental personal injury to the trucker.
To attempt to alleviate this problem by having the trucker bother to carry a separate ladder and securely position it for each time access and egress from the rear end of the cargo carrier is required, is not a satisfactory solution to the problem because truckers are typically strong and agile and are tempted not to go to the trouble to use or to properly securely position such a separate ladder, assuming such ladder has not become lost, misplaced or stolen. Hence, accidents and injuries will continue to occur unnecessarily.
A better solution to this problem is reached by the present invention which contemplates a built-in folding ladder having elevated hand rails, which is mounted adjacent the rear end of the cargo enclosure above the cargo bed and is conveniently accessible and deployable to a stable position for ready access to the rear of the elevated cargo bed and structural cargo enclosure. The folded ladder is compact and is conveniently mounted for movement to a stowed position inboard of the rear end of the cargo bed where it is out of the way and poses no significant obstruction to cargo space, interference with the rear door or doors, or interference with backing of the rear end of the cargo bed against a loading dock.
So far as is known, prior truck ladders are exemplified by those illustrated in U.S. Pat. No's. 3,882,965 to Loomis, et. al.; 4,205,862 to Tarvin; 4,482,029 to Prochaska; and, 4,492,286 to Lemire. While no review has been made of other references cited in these patents, it is believed that the folding ladder combination of the present invention is unique compared to prior truck ladders, as to its structure, its features of utility, and its mounting on and cooperative combination relationships with a truck cargo carrier of the character herein described.